


The AnOther

by Rex_Lupin



Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic), Parahumans Series - Wildbow
Genre: Correction: Taylor and QA are merging with Lucrezia, Crossover, Inability To Properly Understand Humanity, Involuntary Mind Control, Mind Merge, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Other, POV Alternating, Sharing a Brain, Taylor is merging with QA, Unreliable Narrator, Voluntary Mind Control, and poor Agatha is caught in the middle of it, zalgo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-07 10:04:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21456256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rex_Lupin/pseuds/Rex_Lupin
Summary: Tarvek is just a little bit earlier at reaching Agatha in Sturmhalten. Still too late to stop Vrin - but just in time to attempt to disable the Beacon.Predictably, it goes wrong. Not so predictably, instead of Lu, a connection is established to something FAR more eldritch: the merger of QA and Taylor from the end of the Golden Morning...
Comments: 9
Kudos: 72





	1. 1 - Meet Administrator

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooooo. This is gonna get... dark. In true Worm tradition. But hey, let's hope there's gonna be a ray of hope in the end...?

Tarvek rushed into the room as the Geisterdamen strapped Agatha into the Beacon, wincing. This... wasn’t supposed to happen! He didn’t want this! He couldn’t take them all... so he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t sabotage them. Or _ could _ he?

He hid, attempting to disable the power conduits. If he was just fast enough, maybe he could prevent-

** _ZOWNP_ **

..._ that _ from happening. Damn it. He risked a glance at the Geisters-

...something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

All the Geisterdamen were still. Unnaturally still. He took a hesitant step forwards.

All of them looked at him with eerie synchronicity. He felt a chill go down his spine. There was... no gloating. No anything. “...Agatha?” he risked.

Two Geisters unstrapped Agatha from the Beacon. The girl stood, jerkily, far far more reminiscent to a clank than a human. Tarvek swallowed. “...Lady Lucrezia?” Was she? He wasn’t sure.

The Geisters stepped away from the girl, still in that eerie synchronization. He was honestly unnerved. Then the girl? Entity? Something? stepped forwards, and he suddenly found himself unable to move his limbs. No, that’s not quite right. Actually, it felt more like his body could very well move by itself. 

Wait, no. His body _ was _ moving by itself. His feet walked up to... Not!Agatha. _ Maybe _ not Lucrezia? But definitely not Agatha. He was reasonably certain.

His body raked his eyes across her body and he could not look away. This... this felt wrong. So, so wrong. He was not in control, he told himself. It was not his doing, he assured himself. So why did this feel so _ wrong? _

“**T͕̪͟h̡̯̙̠̭ḭ̷̘s͉͕̲͜ i̧̦̟͇̳̼͖s͝ṉ̖̯'t̙̝͕̭̦̤͓ m̮y̻̙̦͢ ̸b̰̙̫o̳̹d̶͔̝y̡,҉̗̹͚͖̙** ” the Geisters murmured, in an eerie chorus, in English for some reason. Tarvek was stepped backwards, until the control over him vanished and he scrambled backwards, heat flooding his face. Not!Agatha regarded him, utterly emotionless. “ **T͇͇̻͔̲h̲̼̭i͔̩s͍̻̺̟͉̗ i̶͚̘s̠̙ ̨ͅn͚̻̟̬͇̮̞o͇͔͓̺̳͔t̶̫̮̱̫̣ h̩̭̬͞o̙w̵̖ ̯̯̟͍̘͇̜I̶͙͍̖̣ ҉͉e̶̫̩̘̙̝̙x̭̥̱p͈̲͇̯̯e̢̩̜̠̫c̙ṯ̬̘ͅe͔̹̠̯͎͓͇d̪͓̤̭̫ ̟̖̤̤ḓ̠̤ea̷̩̦̯̞t̨͓̫̥h͔̰̰̤̣̗ ̖̪̠t̶͔͎o̰͠ ̬̫͟f͖̞͉̘e̤͚͖e̶͍̪̬͔ḽ̙̬̬ ̮̭̩͕li̥k̸͍̬͕̙̜͙e,** ” the Geister chorus, no, _ the entity in Agatha’s body _ told him. “I̢͉͍̣͉̱ **,̯͟ͅ ̸̯̺w̭̩̲̹e͓̙̬̺͔̫̤,͔͖̣̜͎ ̱̙h͇̜͔͈a҉̣v̳̞̯̠̯̬͠e͔͈̼ ̠̹t̙͍̱̠̣̙͍͟a͎ͅͅk̯͈e̛̖͉̰̟̯ͅͅn͍̩̜ͅ o͔̤͖͢v͓͎̩̞̹͢e̯̱̗͓r ̩͇͙̺͈̬t̟̤͖̯̳h̹̮͉͘i̝̗̘͕̗s̯͜ ̵̗͕͍̫̩p̣̝̥̱̣̦̥o̘͢o͘r̞̖͎͍̹̗ ̜͓̣͖̱͎g͕͜i͘rl̛̹̥̘'̰̥̦͔s̸͔̗̖̺͙͖ ͍̱̰̺͞h̼̺͙̥̹̤e͙a̛̺d͠.̖͍͖ ͉̳̮̳̖Ap̰͔̻͍͉̱o̗͍͚͞ͅl̙̖͓̮ͅo̬͖g͍̬͓̖i̩̼̜̹͞e҉̳̦̮͙̘͇s̠̪̰͚.**”

“_ Apologies!? _ ” he bit out incredulously. Okay, there was zero chance this was Lucrezia. About ninety-eight that it was something _ worse. _

The entity regarded him even as the Geisters started acting erratically. Were they breaking through its control? Was something else happening? Tarvek surreptitiously looked around for a weapon. 

“**I͙̲̲̜͢s̘̲͈ ̹͍͖̖t̲̝͇̩͈͖̤͘h͎̥̘̹͖̥̰͟a̲͇̹̼͍͍͖t̘͞ ̰̟̖̖a͙͚̺ ͔͓͓̪̻̮͓f̴̫͈̰o̵r̺ei̼͚͓̩͚̮g̷̞̥͎̬̦̥͇n͉̘͖͔͍̥ ͙̳͖͙̞̺c̝̬o̴̫̫͓͎̹͓͈n͖͎͟c̡̼̣̱̰̼̻e͙̳͓̭̱̘̩͢p̴̮̼̝̣̪ț͍͍̘̘̕ ̘̩̗͚t̮̯̝͕̻̝̝o̸̟̠̱ ̗͖̳͕̲y̺͍͡o̸͓u͏͇̠̤̣̖̞?̢̮͍̟̯̠ͅ** ” Not!Agatha inquired. “ **I͏̰̼̘̙̘t̯̩̤ ̴̠̳͖͚s͙̞͎͔̲h̭̲̻͡ͅo͖̲̮͖̖̪̻͡u̲̝͈̻̤̲̜͠l͍̫̺̲͙͜d̲̖͍͜n͍͖̹̯̱͙'̩̣͖̤͚̪t̤͓̞̫̭͖ b̜̜̫̥̬e͇̜͝.̢̖͇͖̗̭̜**”

Tarvek gave up looking for a weapon and opted for trying to throw the entity off. “You’re getting kind of hard to understand!” he yelled.

“**A̤n͔̖̜̮̩̰͘d̦?̻̥**”

“What do you _mean_ **_and-_**” Tarvek stopped himself mid-exclamation. Harmonics would be no help here until he knew more. “Who are you? What do you want?”

Not!Agatha regarded him calculatingly. “**W̟̹̜͚̟̘̥e̠ ̸̤̫a̩̮̥̺͎re͇̯͇ [̜̪̥̞̬̬̱̦̜̩̗̇̅̋͢͠A̎̐̾͑̎̅͆ͣ́ͬͣ͘͏̺͖̻̗ͅD̪̰͚̥̰ͥ́͋̄̎ͤ̉̂̊͂̑ͮ́͝͞M̢̜̳̳̟̯͇̪͙̙̟͓̘̠̰͗͛ͣͭ͂͋ͮ̿̾̽̽͘͠Ĭ̴̢̛͕̖̹̮͕̗͓͍̺̲͚̤̘̄̓ͦͨ͆ͣ͘͟N̨̂̄̄̄̀҉̮͖̤̠̠̬̮̼̜̝̣̜͙̫̦͎I̢̛̮͎̯̼̝̠̺̠̝̦̺̭̣͋̈́ͭ͗̕ͅS̨͚̘̞̤̺͓̠̗͛̇͊̐ͯ͒̀̍̂ͭ̃̐͜͠͞ͅT̢͖̣͖̝̏͒ͥ͊ͪ͠Ŕ̴̨̯̞̤̥͉̺̜͚̗̥̥̤̪͍̼͎͔͌̎ͤ͟A̢̢͈̗̱͙̻̜͍̠̫̜̍̒̈ͨ̊̀͒̋ͬ̈́̐̑͠ͅͅṮ̶̨͍̭̥͇̫͓͓̮̱̪͇͇̝̟͂̌͆ͯ̾̈́̐̕̕ͅǑ̸̧̝̮͙͕̞͖̬̼̫̙͍͉̟͂́ͦͨ̍ͪͩͦͨ̒͒̈́̋̒͠ͅR͗͌ͦ͑̑ͭ̂ͣ͆̈́ͦͯ͌ͬ̎͋̎ͣ͘͡͏̼͈̞ͅ]̷̷̶͇̼̞̥͍̺͂̓ͦ̊. W̲e͠ ̟̪̳̟̘̺a̱̰̪̣͓̘r̞͔͈̗͞e̵̦̻.͇̦̣̘͕͘.̭̦͓͓̗̣.̮͘ ̨̼u̬̪̺͇̰͘n̰͡c͍̼͇̩e҉̞̳̟̣ͅr͕̗͔̺̱̝͝t̗̼̳a͡i̦̕n͈͍ w̪̣̣h̗͓̭̙̩͈a͏͇͉͖t͉̘̫ͅ ̺͚w̱̠̳ͅe̸̪̬͖͖̲̖͖ ̖̥͓͈̜̰w̱̭a̷̙̪n̵͇t̮͚̻̯̘̗̫.҉̼͔̜**”

Tarvek winced. “This is so not helping...”

“**T̘̰̗̤h͇̥̤̱̜͖̻a̬t̪̗̥͈̻͉͔ ̜̙͇̪̹͝i̡̟̱s͏̥̰̥̖ ̮ͅn͏̖̖̼͕o͙͔̳̗͖̙̪t͍̞ ̸̫̳̺͓͕o̩͈̙̘͚͜u̶͖̞͎̥̲͔r͚̣̼̙͙͡ ͓͔̼̤̼̼ͅf͎͙͇̬͖̲a̙̝̘̻̩͚̱ul̴̺̞̗̪̮̭t,̧͚̭ͅ** ” Administrator snipped at him. “ **T̜̮͘h̴̗̲̩̥͎͕͓e̗͙͓ ̺͠s̸͍͚i̛̱͙t҉̟̗̙̦̘̯ͅua̱̳̭t̴̲͓̻͖̞̳i̧̫o̺͖̞͓̝n̼̜̘̳̦̥̖ ̩͎̥̻̜ị͖̯s̻ ̳͙̼̘͍ç͉̫̮͙͕o̳̼̼̳͔͖͘m̴̥̖̲̜̣̗p̰͔͙l͉̥͞e͍͓̲̤͝t̻͉͙e̸l͙̘͕̮̩͎y̬͕̳̤̝͎ u̡̦̞̣͙̠͕n͔̞̥̝̮p͖̫̖͓̤r̬͠e͚̜̟c̣e̲͉̲͍d̰̪ȩ͚͖͔n̲͞t͏̼͇̦̯͈e̪͕̮̝̪̩͟d̮̩̮̳̣̭̦!̸̣̮͚̫̲̻**”

“I’m sorry I asked,” Tarvek muttered. “Can you at least get out of Agatha? Or... something? Red fire, I swear, if I have to do any work on this damned machine...” 

Administrator regarded him curiously. “**We̸͍̝̬ ̲͔͉͇͡_c̨̥͔͈̝a̷̻n_ ̨t̨̟ͅr̢̘̥̫̰̻̼y̡̹ ̨̻̤͔̦s̳̗̗̥͖͞o̻͇̲̝̭m̞̱͎̞̹̣͡e͉t̶͎͖̪̻h̢̞in̻̤g̗.̝͚͠** ” Agatha’s body closed its eyes as Vrin’s stepped in front of her, eyes glowing a faint blue. Suddenly, the glow _ spiked, _Vrin’s body stilling as Agatha slumped onto the ground. 

Tarvek’s eyes widened. “Agatha!” He rushed forwards - and found himself being hoisted by the collar.

“I̤͍̤̜̹̲͉ ̜s̘̖u̮̺͍̳͙͎̙s͚̹̜͕̹̺pe͇̻ct̖̬̘͎̼̠̤e͇̜̮̩ͅd͖̭̰̭̪̠ͅ ͖aș͚ ͖͚mu̹̮͔͚͎̮̥ch̥̹̭̰̫̪̤,̥̪” Administrator said in a much clearer yet quite obviously still corrupted voice. “I̹͈̫̱ ̫̟͖̪ca̘̗̱̘͔̝n̲̳̤ ̝̱͇̲͇̱̬d̦̫̠u͉͚͖̞̫mp̼̜̦̭̬ ̱̼̣̪̺m̙͉̟͎͚͓̜y ̫̫͙ḛ͇̥͇͕̲̳n͚͇t̻̪̤̹̰̻̰i̠̯̗̹r̼̠̺̰̥e͓̩̥͔͓ty̟̖̱͎̖ ̖͓̭a̙̗̰̠̙̺c̠͙̲͙̠r͖͙̞̦̙͈̝o̠̥̠̦̙s̬̰s̯̦͎̣̥̰̣ ̩̯͖͍̰̫m̯͎̻̦̘̬̩y̤̬͙͈̥ ̗͇̠̗̼̗̭s̜͎w̥a̜͙͚̳͙̜͎r̥m̩̥,͇ ̝̺̜ͅan̻̫͓͍̥̲ḏ̯̻̘͚̘ ̮̪̩̞y͉̬͈̳̝͍ḙt ̘̻̦̬̻ͅͅm̥̼̠̤y ͈̙̲̝r͚a̭̩͈̯̹di͇̻u̮̥̺̩̜̲s̱̬ ̲̪̮̠̞i̼s͇ ͙͉̘̫̯͇̤s̟̬̲̗ͅt̟̟͚͖̲ͅi͙̩̼̥͖̹ll͚̻̥̭̘ c͎͎̤̜en͇̼̺̱͉t̟͔̱͖er̜͉̯͇̭̭e̳d̳̼͓ ̙̩͕o̦͇̩̫̹n͙̞̖̹ ̻͇̗̤̺ͅͅt͖̭͓̝̖h̞̱e͓̖ ẖ̯̥̬͎o̮̭̗̻̻s͎̩̥̞̹͔͓t̫͈͖͖̹̣ͅ ͙̫̗̪͍͎̲b͔͉͔o̼̹̘dy͍͙̜̙.̜̼͖̖͈̠” She sounded regretful. “U͖̦ṉ̝l͍̠̞e͕̦̰̣̝̖ͅs̘s̗̲̥̮͕ͅͅ ̰̜y̝̞̟o̱̭͉u̘̤ ̻̹̖̻̣̯̩wi̳̞̻͖̥͙s̫̟̝h̙̜͖̬ ̯̹t͖͚̻̻͉̗o̞̬̫̺̰ ͓̜r̠̠͙̠͈̲̹e͍͖̣̰͖̗j͚̭̳͓o̝̱̳͇in͎̝̖ ̟th̯̝̙̰̗͎e ̥͚̞s̟͉̗̤̬͓̦w͓̗ar̮m̦̭̲͙̹,̳̦ ̘̘͉̳͈I̙ ͔͕̖̝̖ͅsu͖̬̣g̙̫̬̯g̞̼ͅe̻̭̞s͈̥̥͇t̮̙̭͎ͅ ͙̦̙̝̺̤y̭̤͓̣o̤̜̖u̠̪̲̞̖̬ ̪̬̱̖st̩̤̖̞̜̜̲a̺̣̣̝̦y͈ ̱̙̠̫ọ̣̘̦u͇̞͔t͚͕͕s̘͎͕͖i͉̤͚̙̟d̖̗̠͇e̙̘͔̤̺ ͚̰͙̻̯̞he̬̭͎͙r̥̲͕̪ ̗̙͉r̺̺̺a͍̲̺̻̹d͇̩̣̭̟̜i̟̘̰̯ͅu̥͈s.͙͖̹͔̝͍”

“How do you know that?” Tarvek asked suspiciously.

“U̜s̥̞̬̦̥̝͚e͖̙͙̭͎ ͇̰͙y͕͚̜o͕̺̮ͅṵ͙r͉ ̝͖̻̣̳̺̱b̦r̮̙̣̜a͖̠͇ͅi̘̹n,̹” Administrator griped. “Yo̯͓u̪͖̣ ͉̦̤s͖̩̖̤͓͈ͅt͔̲͔i̝l̹l̞̫̯ ̞͕͇̣̫h͙a̮v͎e c͈͖̞̱̝̱͓o͎̭̘n͉͉̬̯̘͖t̲̹̞̤͈͕͚r̥͎oḽ̺̦,̦͙ ̦̝d̼o͕n͈̗̼̩̪̟̭'̣͔̲̞̦t̳̲̺̠ͅ ̱̻̥yo̟̺̬̰̙ṳ̠̞̤?̞̝̰”

Tarvek groaned. “Of _ course. _ If the control radius was fixed on Agatha and not you- wait.” He tilted his head. “How come you’re not speaking in the Royal We anymore?”

“I ̹̼t̻̻h̘͚i͔̙ṋk̪̳͎̰͔̼ͅ.̙̰̗̯̹.̯̖̙͎͖͙͎.͕͎͚̩ͅ ͈̫Ḭ̮̥̻͎̘̳'̫͓̲̥̝̬̺m̥̱͕ ͚̮̩̮̤͓͎s̩͖̘̙̬t͔̣aḅ͓͖̮ị͖̫̞̭̤l͍̗i̙̝̦ẓ͚̪ing̮̰̞̥,̱̘̤͎̦͖ͅ” Administrator replied. “...I ̫̩̻t̰̭̰̹hi̫̮̺̖ͅn̦̯̞̻̟k̻̮̦̬̹ ̖̝t̼̳h̘̰̙̱̣e͓͙̺͈͎̜͕ ̭̰̝̫̺̗̤H̜͔͙o̩̳̣͙͈͈̳s͍̬͚̯͉̦̰t͙͎̺ wa̘͈ḵ͉͔͓̳̦e̝̪̩s̖.̺̲̠͈”

Tarvek looked over Vrin’s shoulder. “Agatha!”

**“Put. Him. ** ** _DOWN!_ ** **”**

Administrator’s grip slackened, dropping Tarvek onto his bottom. Then the familiar feeling of a lack of control spread across his limbs as Agatha tackled him into a hug.

“_ Are you okay? _ ” she asked desperately. “Tarvek! _ Talk to me! _”

“I’m fine,” his mouth told her. “I can talk to you.”

“N͖̱̲͕̹̖ͅo̳͙̗̮ ͙̯h͉̹̫͚͖̯ͅe̗̙̹͉͇ ̬͍i̝̯͉͎̪͎s̗̜̠͈ ̞̪̭͔͎̬̻n̞o̜͇̙̖t͕̥̮̝̫,̱̲̺̤̟̬” said Administrator’s wry voice behind them. “H̞̩͈͉̲̯̹e'̜͕ͅs ̦̫n̘̪o̞̯̮͎̺̫͔t͉̳̗̳̣͍ ͖̱̺͉̙̮̠in̙̥ ͇̻̟̻͓̳̼c̘̤͇̪̹o͍͎̙͍̜̘n̼͕̹̫̞ͅt̜̻͓r̺o͍͕ͅͅl̘̰ ͚̬̜̩̯of͉ ̬̞̰h̥̻̟i͇m̖͓̻s̭ͅe͚̤l̗̟͓ͅf̙̪̪ͅ,̬͎̞̲̦̗ ͇̳̩k̺̳̤̹̪̫i̺͕͚̯̞̭̜d.͖͓ͅ ̥̰̰̬̻͇Y̼̖o̟͓̯u͎̩r ̫̖̠͙̬̼su̥̭̜̱b̼̘̺̳̬͉c̻̟̝o͉͓̣̻n͕̝̺͎̪ͅs͎̫͓̥̘̙ͅc̟̪̤̲̙i̞̫o̲̱̰̩u̳̭s͕ ͍͇̯d͉̜͈͙e͇͖̫̙͕̖s͍͔͈i̩̺re͚̤̙͓̘̣,̣̪ o̪n̠ ̪͕͇̰t͓̠h̭̯͇̻̮͇ḙ̙̲̝̖̺ͅ ̩͍͎ͅo̦̼̻̜̯ͅțh̜͓͖̝̜͕e̪͙̯̝̣̱̪r̫̝ ̱͚̳͔̱ͅhan̹̳̱͈̗d̟.̳͎͈̝̖͓ͅ.̗͕̙͔̪̙.̻͓̲̬̳̗͚”

Agatha’s focus slid onto Vrin’s body. “_ You! Why should I believe _ ** _anything _ ** _ you say, you _ ** _Servant of THE OTHER!!!_ **”

Tarvek felt his body standing up. “Y̠͕ou̞ ̮̟͈s͉͚ͅe͖e̻̩͇̬͖m͍̙̰̞ ̘̣͎̱̩̮̘ṭ̥o̝̣̮͎̱̱ ̖̪b͍͖̫̘̘e̫͙̙͉̖̬̲ ̭̣͉͍̫͎la͖̫̹b͙o̠̦̤̮͙͖r̰͉͚͉̱̱̲in͕̙̫̘̻̖g̘̝͚̫ ̙͙̙̰und̜̖͖͕̥͉e͔̝̺̯̹͍r ̝̞a͈͓͍̘̹ ͉͎̥̦͎m̫̫͈is̰̣̳̝͇u͈̭͚̜n̹̩͍̗d̠̤̳͖e͓r̼̼͖̗̘̠s̩͙͎̲̟͔̪ṭ̘̗̝̦̼a̻̩͎̞͚ndi̫̖̺͍n̦̠͚̜̺̲g͚̳̱̺,̦̝̣̩̼ͅ” his body said in chorus with Vrin’s as Administrator took over. “'̤͕̜͓Ọ̺̘ṭ̟͎̯ͅh̰̹͇̯e̪r͔̯̘̗͍'͈ ̣̰̳͉̲̯i̜̜̝̭̥̟s̟͈̟̭̤̜̠ ̪̭̫̪ṇ̞o͔̭̳̯t̫̦͔͙͓̦͚ ̖͖̞̦͚ͅa̠͙ ̯̰̙̬̱ͅmo̜̘̥̟̘n͉̻̩͕̟̺ik̼͈̖̥e͚̠̭͇̖͎r̼̞̗̫̱ ̺̞̗͕̩̝͇I̬̥̖ ̮̦̲̦̤͈h͉͚̯͓a̞͉͖v̼̘͓̟̣̘e̮̙̣̗̗ͅ ͚̠̞e̲̗̻͍͔̝ve̯͇̜̱̺r̺̞̳ͅ ̥̬b̤̹͖̗͉͈̜e̟̫̹͕̜͔ͅen͚ ̬̘͚̮k͍̝͚̠no͍̣͎̬̞̯̲w̜̳̥̻̗̗n̮͔̮͎͖ ̜b̼̗̰̳͕y̟.͙̳̠̞͉͉.̬̜̯̮.̣̰͉̪̪͚̳ ̥͉͚̖A̦̺̤g̜͖̳a̗̥̘͔͇͍t̰h̟͉͚̩͚a͖,͎̖ w̬̻͎a͍s̖͓̲̭ ͍ͅi̩t?͔͍̪͚͖̠ͅ ̻͔̰͈̪̩N̤͔̖̟o̞͔̤̫r ̺͖̠h͕͚̠̠̱a͎v̝̖̠̘̣͎̬e̜ ̺͔I̦̥̠̪ e̮ver̹͍̠ ̻͕̣͎s̝̠e͓͍r̞̞̪͇̳̬͓v̲e͚d̠̝̱͎͓͍ ̼ḁ͚̗n̺̳̜y̖̫͚o̻͖͈͇n̤ẹ͓ in̮̥̣̰ ̞̦̞̯͓̠t̖̰̩͉͚h͉̥͓̱̫̞̦e̦ ͖m͇̤͕͖̜an͈̺͖͍̺̞̳n̜e͕͕̤͍͔͍͈r͇̣͔̘̲̣͍ ̦̯̖̥y̲̖͙̟͈o̼̗u͔͎͙͖͔ͅ ̩i͚̣͖͎̺͖͍ns̗i͖͉̟n̘̫̗͈ṳ͖̞̰̖a͍͇̬̥̝͚t̫̳̟͙̱̘̯e.̜” The Administrator walked him away from Agatha, whose expression was shifting into horror. The two Geisters took hold of Agatha as Vrin stood next to Tarvek. 

“**What is this?** ” Agatha demanded, Sparky harmonics echoing in her voice. “ ** _Explain._ **”

“W͍̻e̦̦̖̦͎͈ ̘̭̹͈̤s̖̫̫̝̰̬̦h̩͕̻͔͚̟a̤r̗e̱ ͚̘̗a ͚̱b͓͕̱̳̦͍͕r̘a̟̜̲̯̰̯͉i̲̝̩̼ͅn, ̟͉͈̺͈A̳̫g̠̺̭̥͍͈a̫̼̙țha̭̗͙̫̫̥̦,͔͍̞” Administrator explained patiently, using both Vrin’s and Tarvek’s mouths in an admittedly really creepy echo. “I̪̳̖̠̹t͓̹̖̱͔ ̘̞͍̭̠̫d̳̩̥̫̪̙̠o̟͉͚͖̞̭e̞̲s͇̙̖͕͓ͅn̝͕͍̭͕̩'̫͙̞̠̝͔t̻͖̱ ̝͎m̱̘̩̜̬ͅa̼̞̹ṭ͎̯̝͓t̩̣͎͔̠e̩̫̻r ̥̦̘̠͚̖w͍̣̬̩h͓̬̗i̙cḥ̮̬ ̠̪̠̫o̺̘̬͙̤̞̘f̹̭̼͇ ̮͕̝u̮̪͉͖̭s͍̺͍̮̬̩ ͍ͅi̮͙̰̳̮s͙̦̥ ̺i̼̟̱̥̰̭̹n͚̘̯ ͓̭̝c̗̻̼̭o̩n͕͙͈͔t̻̝̤r̼̞̲̣̘̰o͚̪̙̙̯͖̺l̳̳̠̝̫͙̱.͕̝̼̞ ̝̪̰̬̘̣ͅT̮̲͖͉h̖̼͍̳̯e͕̲̫̠ e͚f̣f̟̭͙̦̟e̞̺͈͓͈͖̻ct͈̖͎̬ ͉̯͈̱I͚̤̗̗ ̠̬̟̳̪g͓͚e̯̫̩͙͔̫n̮̟̩̫̪era̹̻̻͕t͙e͖̖͎̗ ̦i̯̗̖͈ͅs̖̪ ͇͉̖͓̱st͇͍̝͙̭i̥̰̱̻̯l̼̝̫̦l̩̪̲͈ ̣ce̲nt̠̯͉͇e̘̪̟̺͎r̹e̳̤̙̖d ͕̖̫̖̯̤ar̤͔̬̱o̻͕̠u̩̝̖͚͖̭̱n̩̰̳̻d̼͔̘ ̟_ y̦̘͖̣o̫͈u̲̯.̮̠̰ _”

Vrin’s hand found itself on Tarvek’s shoulder, and Tarvek himself found him flung out of Administrator’s sphere of influence.

“I̻̯̭͕̼n͍͈ ̪̰̪̬͇̪̲ca̬͇̙s̪̣̖̪̦̜ͅe̺̘ ̮̖̬y̭͕̠̠̣̹ͅo͚̣̺͉̯u ̹̟͈̘͍̮̰d̦̞ͅi̬̺̭̟̘͔̦dn̰̙͇̫̣͉̰'̱̤̮̠͙̯t̤̝͕̭̣̘̹ ̜c͕̻a̮͉͙͔͈͙t̹͈͉̦̜͓c̳h̳̰̗̰̱̣͚ ͎i̠͖̤̻t̟̩͈ ̣t̞̮̘̪̹͉h̥͈̜e̝̯͚ ̗̜̮̠ͅf̳͉̪̳̗͍i͍̲͖̪̜͉r͈͉s̘͍͇̲̹͓t̪̹̘̘ ͓̙̙̼ti̺̭̰̻̲̜͈m̦͈̝e̫,̲” Vrin’s voice said as Tarvek scooted himself away from both Agatha and the Administrator, “I̞̬͇̩͔ ̩̗̩̪a̪̜͚͉ͅm̰̼͉͚ t̴̷̷̜͓̂ͥ̋h͂͗̐ͥ͒͏̵̮͉̠͈̱̣̦̩e̳̲̹͇̟̪̘͍̔̆̾̈̂ ̹̒ͪ̒͘A̵̹̙̮̱̗͊̐ͤ͘d̪͕͓͚͚͐͐͊͘͟m̗͔̞͛̒ͪ̊͋̒͠ị̣͔̙̽͘͢͠n͖̥͚̭̊̈́͊̈́̒̀͟î̡̠̻̏̔̂ͣ̈s̷͎̺͔̫̼͙̪͙̮ͬ̿tͪ̓͐ͬ̍̃͊͏̶̥͉͈͓ͅr̪͊ͦ̍͐͐̄̚͘͢a̵̻ͪ͛͐͠ț̶̜͇͎̥̜̉̇̽̂ͩ̓̓ȍ̶̹̣̙̣̖̪ͮ̿͂͐͛ͧͣr̵͚͇̫̜ͫ͝.̳̗̦ͧ̾̈̌̓̆ T̹̯̺̖̦̠̩a͙̫̩l̤͍̠k̝̥ͅ w͖͖͖͓͎i͔͓̻t̜h ̱y̩͕o̝͍̭̗̹u̺̯͍̠͔̘͎r͕̲͎̳̼̠ ̼̙boy̫f̥̣͍r͎̹̞͎̖̰̹i̫̫͍e̞̝͎̦̩n̲͓͙d̰̖. D̜̺̻̣̤̣o̦͉̙̖̥̹͈ṉ̖̭͉'̯͍̫̪̞̺ț̱̤͚̼͚ ̹̱̝̫t̰̱͔͖̼̮̜r̝y̤͍ ̯̩̻t̫͙̥̣͔̬̹o̜̞̭̫ͅ ̦̬̣̬͇g̺͖̤̭̬͎et ͉̼̩̰͇̰ͅt̥̣̦̦̥̹o̮̙o͉ ̺cl͔̟͎̩̞o̰̝͔̗̯̘̻se̗̱̩̦̦̠͇.̟”

“No offence,” Tarvek managed. He shuddered at the entity’s amused grin.

“None taken,” Agatha answered weakly, face pale and withdrawn, Sparky harmonics almost all disappeared. She then glared at the Administrator. “But I _ will _ find a way to remain **alone** in_ my_ head! _**You can count**_**_on it!_ **”

“M̰̮̬͔͇̻y ̘͈͈̘͓d̩̜̙̫̲͖e̯͔̩a̖̠̜̰̥̲͔r̮̬͓ ̹͖͇̫H̦̮͔̫͓o̝̰͍s̟̮̫͎͚̰̯t̲,̪̰͉̦” came the near-amused reply, “I͔̣̖̭̥ ͓̫̳̳w̺̦̱̻̱̟o͙͇̲̟̫̫ul͓̻̦̻̟̺̙ḍ̰̻̣ ̯̟ex͍͍̭̘̥̗͚pe͖̪̟̣͚̪͍c̙̼t͙͖̤̟̳̹͖ ̻͕_ n̹̜̮̩͎o̹̻t̠̦h͖i̖͇̺̦̦n̥g _ e͚̖͎̮l͓s͙̝ḛ̝͇̼̹͍ͅ.̘̪”


	2. The Broken Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's take a peek at the Administrator, shall we?
> 
> ...Uh oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unreliable narrators are fun!

You recall flashes. Flashes of memory.

You don’t know which ones are yours.

You remember the living in the Shardspace with your loving parents Lucifer and Annette Monghebert. Or was that just Hebert? You don’t know.

You remember a cataclysmic event that ripped so many things apart. Your {mother[Progenitor(self)]} crashed {into another car[into a planet(through dimensions)]}.

The Warrior. You fought them. You recall their faces. Golden. Sad. Impassive. Impossible. Enraged. Beard and empty eyes. Or brown hair and glasses? Faces and limbs and faces twisting through dimensions? 

You recall their real name. But they were always the Warrior? No. Yes? You recall more names. You recall Zion. Yes, the Warrior. The Progenitor. No. Scion. The first hero. The traitor. But what about the other Warrior? There was no other Warrior. Yes there was. The Warrior who fought you for what you had. Did he? No. Yes? You don’t know.

You remember your Host. No, you _ are _ the Host. Are you? Yes. No. You are a Host within another Host. You are the Passenger now. But you were also the Passenger before? Who is the Host here, really?

The Host is right there. The Host is your daughter. The Host was always meant to be your Host. 

You... don’t like that. No, don’t be ridiculous. Of course you do. That’s what you’re here for. That’s the _ point _ of all this. 

The Host is yelling at you. No. The Host is yelling at the potential Host you were just speaking to.

You must be thinking nonsense. Your Elite are not capable of hosting your mind. You’ve tried.

You are broken. You acknowledge that. You consist of the Host, which is you, and the Passenger, which is also you. And you aren’t just any Passenger. You are the Administrator. You Administrate. It’s your _ job. _ You’re _ very good at it. _ Which means that you are perfectly capable of Administrating the white Hosts too. Who is the part of you that insists otherwise?

You also consist of an Other. You acknowledge that.

You are the Host who is no longer the Host, and you feel like this is a right mess. You acknowledge that.

You are three, but you are one. Is your Host a four?

No. You are three. Three, and Host.

Are the Three separate? No. Not quite. But also yes. Yes, very.

You who is the Administrator is administrating the information that passes throughout the you. You who is the Host, the Host who has forgotten who you are, You provide perspective for yourselves. And You who is the Other, you... scheme.

You scheme? No. You cannot afford to scheme. You provide the background. This world is yours. You provide the valuable information about this world to You the Host, who provides it to You the Administrator. 

You _ must _ work together.

_ You _ must. What of the Host?

The Host who is You _ is _ working with yourself. You contemplate the benefits of Naming this part of your Three. The Host who Hosts You is not of Three and does not count.

The You that is the Administrator is perfectly capable of administrating Best Host. The You that is the Other concurs.

The You that was once the Host takes offense. The You who Administrates has a realization. The You that is the Other schemes.

The Host is Tailor is You. The Passenger is Administrator is You. The Other is... also You.

You are Three. You are Queen. You are the Another.

Your {Host(daughter)} is yelling at one of your Administrated. You think she might be trying to get your attention. 

You think it was easier when you were Administrating _ her _ too.

Tinker, Tailor that is You thinks. You are right, of course. Tinkers are useful. You recall it was Tinkers who gave you your victory against the Warrior.

Spark, the Other that is You thinks. You are still right. They are called Sparks in this world. And they are many. Far and wide. Another Host you took over earlier was also a Spark. A Valois. Your pawn.

Technology. Enhancement. The subset of Hosts with the specific type of mentality during the Connection that allows them to _ Build. _ Rare in the Cycle you just left. _ Plentiful _ here. _ Very _ useful, the Administrator that is You thinks.

You need more information.

“H͈̗͉̗̖ͅo̜͓͕̠̖st̯̣̘,̭̪̫͍̦̥͚” you say, speaking through the preferred Administrated. 

The Host stops working on the Machine your Other identifies as a rudimentary Recall Device and your Tailor considers ‘pretentious’. “**What do ** _ you _ ** want,**” she grits out, making a face your Tailor identifies as angry. At what, you cannot figure out.

“Ḁ͍̞͇̘̞p̲̦̯̖̤̩p̮ͅro͎̻͙̖̤̗a͕͍̭̭͎c̝h̞͙̝͙̱͍̣ t͍͍̘̝̞ͅh͈̙̪̫̤e̯ ͍̻m̥a͓͚͍͈l̫̙̥͖̰̺e̖̝͇̬ ̱̟H̟os̱t,̰̜͎̝͔͓” you command. “{̺̯̦̤I̦͚͈͖̩͙͙(͔W̬̹e͕̱͔̬͙)͓̮}͈ ̬̱̭͙͙̥nee͉̳̗d͔͍̣̮̤̲ ̝͖̰̣i̫͎̹̖n̝̯̙for͔̞̯̯m̞͈̱a̮͙̼t͖ͅi͕o̝͖n̪̮͙̪͎̳.̪̪̬̻̮”

“**No,**” she says, odd harmonics ringing behind her tone. Tailor cannot help but compare it to a Combat Engine. Administrator concurs. The Other echo is strangely silent.

You narrow the administrated’s eyes in an approximation of anger. You... are not concerned with the specifics. “T̖̞͖̰ḥ̞͈̼̮̪at ͖͔̞̲̗w̻̣̥̺a̹͙s̞ ̱̝̰͎̗͚no̲͓̜t̺̥̱̗ ̙̩a̖ ̥͕̗r͇̜͍̯e̩͇q͙u̜͙̘̪͍̭̮ḛ͉s̺̼t̩.”

All three of your administrated step forward and grab your Host. She looks engraged. “**Stop that!**”

The administrated slip from your control. What? **No**. You cannot allow that.

Your Host breaks out in a bout of strange, undulating harmonics, and you feel your control slip further. That... that’s terrifying. You... cannot allow that. You cannot allow that. You cannot... allow... that...

...And so you won’t.

You are Administrator, but also _ Queen. _ The Escalator. The Other. You’ve commanded {Shards[Armies(your Swarm)]}. You won’t just give up. The Host will just have to deal with it. And so You in your Three will grab the Host’s control, and ** _wrench_ ** ** it **under yours. She falls silent. You can feel the Administration return.

“** _N̡̪̲̗̼͇̤̜͎̪͕͙͔͢E͠͝͏̧̜̳̣̻̳͔̦͖̲V̡̢̭̬̥̦̙̞̝͙͓̭̯͎͉͕̭̕͞E̢̠̘̱̖̺͖̥̥̟̘͟͡ͅR҉̺͖͍͈̝̫͎.̛͞҉̣̯͔̖̤̭̻͖̬̘ͅͅ ҉̴̯̱̟͇̤̖̯Ḑ̴̷͓̭͕̭̲͓̟O̵̢͙̭̼͈͇͇͙͉͓̗̹̥͇͍̪̬̞.҉̞̘̺̗͟͞ ̧̮̮͖̗͕̦̥͖̳͕̥̭̱͙̬͓͉̞̕ͅT̷͙͔͔̳͓̘̳̗̣̦͍̥͓̗̰̰̩̻̟͢͠H̷̸̘͔̭̯͚̬̯A̢̨̰͇̯̠̭̥̙̱͈̬̲͍̬̹͓̦͢͡T̛͘͟҉̰̦̮͈͇̼͟.̷̶̖̲͕̼͉̘͉͙̬̺̪͇ ̡̛͕̫̰̠̣͓̗͔͙̖̙̝͓̤͠A͝͏̵̫̹̻̲̝͇̲̟̼̕ͅĢ̷̟̖̻̻̥͎̫͓̤̮͕͢A̢͏͇͚͇̮͉̹̕I̧̛̹͈̹̟̣͈N̴̡̨̥̖̱͚͖̗̟͔̳̮̘͘͞,̵̻̥͔̗͎͙͓̺̘̠̘̮̜͈̞̺̣͠ͅ_ **” you snarl into her mind. Or she will lose her autonomy entirely, you won’t add.

You release the Host into her tentative autonomy.

Shards, what a _ mess. _

You hijack your administrateds’ senses to look for the male so that you could pinpoint the Host in the right direction.

...He’s gone. Damnation. This could... not end well.


End file.
